Đà Nẵng should not rest on its laurels: PM

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told authorities of the central city of Đà Nẵng to not rest on their laurels at a working session in Hà Nội yesterday. — Photo baotintuc.vn

HÀ NỘI – Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc told authorities of the central city of Đà Nẵng to not rest on their laurels at a working session in Hà Nội yesterday.

The PM pointed out outstanding problems in the city such as the small-scale economy and the modest capacity of services provision and agricultural production. The city has not fulfilled its role in regional connectivity and integration.

Đà Nẵng needs to invest more in its western areas where socio-economic conditions are not as developed as in other areas of the city, the PM said, adding that in the long run, it should strive to become a smart and competitive city that helps connect other localities in Việt Nam and cities around the world.

He suggested the city have a better planning to optimise the limited land resource and open its door wider to talented people and domestic and foreign businesses.

The Government leader commended the city’s resolve to reject polluting investments so as to protect the environment. He asked it to support other central provinces and promote trade with strong economies like Singapore and Hong Kong.

At the session, municipal officials reported that tourism is a key economic sector that generates the most revenue for Đà Nẵng. The city welcomed 4.41 million tourists in the first nine months of 2016, up 18.3 per cent from a year earlier. It earned almost VNĐ12.8 trillion (US$573.7 million) in tourism revenue, rising 25.4 per cent year on year, while attracting many multi—billion dollars tourism projects.

The central city has led the country for eight straight years in terms of the Information, Communication and Technology Index and for four consecutive years in the Public Administration Reform Index.

‘Sustainable development model’

The central province of Quảng Nam should become a model for rapid, sustainable and comprehensive development, Phúc told the province’s leaders in the same meeting yesterday.

The PM asked the province to work with neighbouring Đà Nẵng City and Quảng Ngãi Province to create an economic hub in the central region.

Good performance has been seen in several key sectors, including mechanics and infrastructure development, and tourism, he said.

Currently a province with 75 per cent of its budget coming from the national budget, Quảng Nam is expected to contribute to the national budget from 2017.

However, the number of poor households remained high and the number of enterprises was low, the PM said.

Tourism promotion was still weak despite great potential as the province is home to two world cultural heritage sites, beautiful natural landscapes and historic relics, he said.

The PM asked the province to attract more big investment projects, saying that they are the “iron fist” to create breakthroughs in development.

He urged the province to restructure the economy with a focus on marine economy and offshore fishing.

Agreeing with the province’s policy of making tourism the key industry, he said tourism should be developed to raise its contribution to the province’s gross domestic products from the current 7-8 per cent to more than 10 per cent.

“If we want to develop tourism as a key industry, we have to care about environmental protection,” Phúc said.

He told the province to make more efforts to attract investors to its industrial parks and economic zones and have programmes to support businesses.

“The number of enterprises should be increased twofold or threefold,” he said.

Infrastructure, including sea ports, airports, and roads, should also be completed as it plays a crucial role in development, the PM said.

According to a report by Đinh Văn Thu, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee at the meeting yesterday, Quảng Nam recorded economic growth of 12 per cent in the first nine months of the year. Budget collection was nearly VNĐ12.5 trillion, a 40 per cent year-on-year rise and 90 per cent of the annual budget forecast.

However, the leader said the province is facing threats from severe erosion and salt water intrusion as a consequence of climate change. – VNS